July 13, 2022 The Skanner Portland & Seattle Page 9
A
By BOTWC Staff
A
13-year-old has made history
as the youngest Black person
to get accepted into medical
school, 12 News reports.
Alena Wicker has always been
driven, excelling academically and
getting accepted to Arizona State
University’s engineering program
when she was just 12 years old. Ini-
tially, her goal was to one day work
for NASA. Once she got into the
coursework, her focus shifted.
“It actually took one class in engi-
neering, for me to say this is kind
of not where I wanted to go. I think
viral immunology really came
from my passion for volunteering
and going out there engaging with
the world,” explained Alena.
Now 13, Alena has set her sights
on a career in biology, inspired by
a trip to Jordan she took and The
Brown STEM Girl foundation. Af-
ter finishing two and a half years of
college in one year by taking a full
course load at ASU and Oakwood
University, the teen has now made
history by becoming the youngest
Black person to get accepted into a
medical school in the United States.
If her plan works, Alena will be
a doctor by the time she turns 18.
She plans to focus on helping those
communities most impacted by vi-
By BOTWC Staff
Alena Wicker
ruses.
“What I want from healthcare,
is to really show these underrep-
resented communities that we can
help, that we can find cures for
these viruses,” said Alena.
She will be attending the Univer-
sity of Alabama at Birmingham
Heersink School of Medicine. Her
goal is to make a name for herself
in the world and inspire other
young girls to do the same.
“I really want to leave my mark
on the world. And lead a group of
girls that know what they can do…I
want to inspire the girls. I want
them to see that there are no lim-
its,” she said.
Originally published on Becau-
seOfThemWeCan.com.
Mississippi
teen
saved three girls
and an officer from
drowning after the
girls’ car sank in a local
river, WLOX news re-
ports.
16-year-old Corion Ev-
ans was at the right place
at the right time last week.
A vehicle drove off the I-10
boat launch into the Pasca-
goula River when Corion
sprang into action to save
the three girls inside.
“They drove straight un-
der the water. Like, only a
little bit of the car was still
above the water,” Corion
recalled the harrowing or-
deal to reporters.
The car traveled about 20
feet away from the shore
before sinking. When Co-
rion saw the girls trying to
get out, he threw his shirt,
shoes, and phone and just
jumped in. One of Corion’s
friends, Karon “KJ” Brad-
ley, also joined in the res-
cue efforts to get the girls
to safety.
“I was just like, ‘I can’t
let none of these folks die.
They need to get out the
water.’ So, I just started
getting them. I wasn’t even
PHOTO COURTESY OF CORION EVANS
13-Year-Old Alena Wicker Makes
History After Getting Accepted
Into Medical School
News
Mississippi Teen Saves Four People
From Drowning After Car Sinks in River
thinking about nothing
else,” said Corion.
A student at Pascagoula
High School, Corion said
he’s been swimming since
he was about three years
old. But even with his ex-
pert skills, the rescue was
still a struggle. Not only
did he have to help the
three girls to shore, Moss
Point Police Officer Gary
Mercer, who responded
to the scene and swam out
to help, also began having
trouble staying afloat.
“I turned around. I see
the police officer. He’s
drowning. He’s going un-
derwater, drowning, say-
ing, ‘Help!’ So, I went over
there. I went and I grabbed
the police officer and I’m
like swimming him back
until I feel myself I can
walk…They was out there
throwing up because a lot
of water had got inside all
of them. 25 yards out, so
it was a lot of swimming.
My legs were so tired after.
Anything could’ve been in
that water, though. But I
wasn’t thinking about it,”
Corion explained.
Chief Brandon Ashley
praised the teen’s heroic
efforts, saying, “The police
department and I com-
mend Mr. Evans’ bravery
and selflessness he dis-
played by risking his own
safety to help people in
danger. If Mr. Evans had
not assisted, it could have
possibly turned out trag-
ically instead of all occu-
pants rescued safely.”
Corion’s mother, Mar-
quita Evans, said she’s so
proud of her son and glad
See TEEN on page 11